Optical member with handling portion and method for manufacturing optical member and method for mounting optical member and optical module

An optical member comprising:

• a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions formed on the surface of an optical substrate;
• edge portions formed along a part of respective circumferences of a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions;
• and
• a handling/supporting portion which is provided on the side of the other part of respective circumferences of a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions and is extended in a plane approximately in parallel with the surface of said luminous flux conversion portions, and connects and supports a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions together.

An optical member manufactured by a manufacturing method including:

• the first step of forming a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions in the form of an array on an optical substrate;
• and
• the second step of forming an edge portion along a part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions, and a handling/supporting portion which is provided on the side of the other part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions and is extended to connect and support at least two of said luminous flux conversion portions together along the array of said luminous flux conversion portions, whereby there is obtained an optical element aggregation provided with a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, edge portions corresponding to a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, and the handling/supporting portion connecting and supporting these together, said optical member comprising:
• at least one of said luminous flux conversion portions;
• an edge portion formed along a part of said luminous flux conversion portion;
• and
• a handling/supporting portion connecting and supporting these together.

An optical member manufactured by a manufacturing method including:

• the first step of forming a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions in the form of an array on an optical substrate;
• the second step of forming an edge portion along a part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions, and a handling/supporting portion which is provided on the side of the other part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions and is extended to connect and support at least two of said luminous flux conversion portions together along the array of said luminous flux conversion portions, whereby there is obtained an optical element aggregation provided with a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, edge portions corresponding to a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, and the handling/supporting portion connecting and supporting these together and
• the third step of cutting said handling/supporting portion at a predetermined portion, thereby producing a plurality of individually separated optical elements of which each includes at least one of said luminous flux conversion portions, said optical member comprising:
• at least one of said luminous flux conversion portions;
• an edge portion formed along a part of said luminous flux conversion portion;
• and
• a handling portion which is formed by cutting said handling/supporting portion and is extended on the side of the other part of the circumstance of said luminous flux conversion portion.

An optical member manufactured by a manufacturing method including:

• the first step of forming a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions in the form of an array on an optical substrate;
• the second step of forming an edge portion along a part of the circumference of each luminous flux conversion portions, a handling/supporting portion which is provided on the side of the other part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions and is extended to connect and support at least two luminous flux conversion portions together along the array of said luminous conversion portions, and a nick in at least one predetermined position corresponding to the interval between two of said luminous flux conversion portions in the handling/supporting portion, whereby there is obtained an optical element aggregation provided with a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, edge portions corresponding to a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, and the handling/supporting portion connecting and supporting these together;
• and
• the third step of cutting said handling/supporting portion at a nick position, thereby producing a plurality of individually separated optical elements of which each includes at least one of said luminous flux conversion portions, said optical member comprising:
• at least one of said luminous flux conversion portions;
• an edge portion formed along a part of said luminous flux conversion portion;
• and
• a handling portion which is formed by cutting said handling/supporting portion and is extended on the side of the other part of the circumstance of said luminous flux conversion portion, said handling portion having a part of said nick and a cut face on the side face thereof.

A method for manufacturing an optical member comprising:

• the first step of forming a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions in the form of an array on the surface of an upper silicon layer surface of a optical substrate made up of a lower silicon layer, an upper silicon layer and a middle layer intervening therebetween;
• the second step of forming a edge portion along a part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions by etching said upper silicon layer and at the same time, forming a handling/supporting portion by etching said upper silicon layer, said handling/supporting portion being provided on the side of other part of the circumference of each of said luminous flux conversion portions and extended to connect and support at least two of said luminous flux conversion portions together along the array of said luminous flux conversion portions, thereby obtaining an optical element aggregation provide with a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions, edge portions corresponding to said luminous flux conversion portions, and the handling/supporting portion for connecting and supporting these altogether;
• and
• the third step of removing said middle layer, thereby separating said lower silicon layer from said optical element aggregation as obtained by said second step.

A module comprising:

• a supporting substrate on the surface of which a groove portion for use in arranging members thereon is formed;
• an optical fiber arranged on said groove portion;
• and
• an optical member arranged on said groove portion such that it opposes to the end face of said optical fiber and achieves an optical coupling therewith, and
• said optical member comprising:
• a luminous flux conversion portion formed on the surface of an optical substrate;
• an edge portion formed along a part of the circumference of said luminous flux conversion portion;
• and
• a handling portion which is provided on the side of the other part of the circumference of said luminous flux conversion portion in a plane approximately in parallel with the surface of said luminous flux conversion portion, and is extended with a width wider than said luminous flux portion.

A module comprising:

• a supporting substrate on the surface of which a plurality of groove portions for use in arranging members thereon is formed;
• a plurality of optical fibers arranged on each of said groove portions;
• and
• optical members arranged on each of said groove portions such that each of them opposes to each end face of each of said optical fibers and achieves an optical coupling therewith, and
• said optical member comprising:
• a plurality of luminous flux conversion portions formed on the surface of an optical substrate;
• edge portions formed along a part of respective circumference of said luminous flux conversion portion;
• and
• a handling/supporting portion which is provided on the side of the other part of respective circumference of a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions in a plane approximately in parallel with the surface of said luminous flux conversion portion, and is extended to connect and support a plurality of said luminous flux conversion portions together.